Gravity or Something
by caitimaybe
Summary: Seth Clearwater is a senior in high school and has finally, finally imprinted. On who? The eccentric art-geek, Maxi. Too bad for Seth, Maxi wants nothing to do with him. Can he convince her that they were made for each other? -HIATUS-
1. One

**I added to the beginning of this first chapter, so if you've already read it, just read the beginning again if you wish. If you don't know what I'm talking about.. Well, just read and enjoy, in that case! **

**More chapters are coming soon, I promise. **

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Twilight series.

* * *

_"Maxi!" he yelled, staring up at the second-story window. Seth's voice, husky and broken with grief and desperation, was almost drowned out in the din of the pouring rain. At this point, he didn't care who heard or what they thought; he needed only to see her, to tell her. "Maxi!" He screamed her name again and again into the night. The shade of her window was drawn but a soft yellow glow shone through. He was thinking about throwing rocks at the window when the shade twitched._

_"I know you can hear me, Max!" There was no response; the curtain was still. He sighed. "When will you see?" he yelled, loud enough so she would hear. "You can't do this forever! I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere!"_

_He muttered angrily and put his hands to his forehead, shutting his eyes. Just do it, he told himself. There's nothing left to lose._

_"I love you, Max!" he screamed. "I love you, and I always will. Nothing you do is going to change that for me!" _

_There was still no response. The rain soaked him; it drenched his clothes, matted his hair to his head and mixed with the hot tears on his cheeks. He didn't feel the fierce cold of the rain or notice the fact that neighbors were starting to stare curiously out their windows; he was focused only on Maxi's bedroom window, and the fact that the light had just gone out._

* * *

**MAXI**

I don't remember exactly when he started popping up. I just know that one day, I was leading a perfectly happy Seth-free life, and the next he was there and wouldn't leave.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

My name is Maxi Leone, and this is the story of my encounter with the irritating Seth Clearwater.

**SETH**

I don't even _like _art. I mean, it's fine to look at and everything, but it's not as if I'm actually useful at _creating _anything. My hands are too big and clumsy for that. Or maybe I'm not focused enough. Or _maybe, _it's just the fact that I don't like it.

So what was I doing in Mrs. Williams' art class?

That's a damned good question. I wish I could answer it myself.

So anyway, I was sitting in art class, just kind of looking around, never having been in here and all. There are these big industrial metal tables, long and square, with paint and doodles all over them, that we sit at. Those are pretty interesting, especially some of the doodles. One entire wall is made up of these giant windows, and the rest have paintings and drawings that people have ton stuck all over them.

That's what I was doing, instead of listening to Mrs. Williams drone on about whatever it was. I was studying the room. It was pretty interesting, too, all colorful and whatnot, and some of the stuff on the walls was really good.

That's when I noticed her. She was sitting across the table from me and down a few seats, listening intently to whatever Mrs. Williams was saying.

I knew from Sam and the others how strong and strange imprinting is, but I didn't really fully understand it until it happened to me. It was crazy. I've never been so sure about anything in my life. I don't know why or how I knew, but looking at her, I _knew. _Jacob said it was something like gravity, and I guess that's what it felt like… Sort of like she had her own gravitational force pulling on me, strong strong strong, pulling me to her. I wanted to make her happy. I wanted to be something to her, because she had just become everything. I would be whatever it was she needed out of me.

And I didn't even know her name.

I sat impatiently through the rest of class, focusing on only her now.

She was dainty with lighter skin than a lot of the people you saw around here. Her hair was short and black; spiky, sticking out in different directions around her head. The front was pinned back by a bright blue barrette. She wore a yellow shirt with a chunky pink necklace. In front of her was an open sketch book with some notes and small drawings scribbled on the pages showing. Her dark eyes, wide and almost tilted, followed Mrs. Williams around the room.

God, who _was _she?

I decided to find out. I was trying to judge how much of a disturbance I would cause if I leaned over and asked her for her name when the bell rang. I could hear the hallelujah chorus.

My books were already stacked, ready for me to grab so I could make the quickest retreat possible, but I lingered, waiting for the girl to gather her books. I noticed she was reading a book by Anne Rice – _The Vampire Lestat. _I almost laughed out loud.

She rounded the table and as she walked by me, I said hi to her. She looked at me with wide dark eyes and the corner of her top lip pulled up in a less than friendly sort of sneer. She walked past me.

I fell into step next to her. "I'm Seth. What's your name?"

She looked at me out of the corner of her eye with a sort of bored, irritated expression on her face. "Go away, please."

"Are you new?" I asked.

"I'm only going to say it nicely once."

"I guess that's a 'no', then, huh?"

She wheeled around to face me, unoccupied hand on her hip. "Look, I don't know who you are –,"

"Seth Clearwater."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Leave me alone, okay? You're annoying."

Ouch. I watched the crowd of people swallow her whole as she walked down the hallway, feeling a lot more hurt and rejected than I should have.


	2. Two

**MAXI **

I was eating lunch with Adele and Eric, like always. We never really spoke; Eric listened to his music, I read, and Adele never talked to anyone anyway. We had a sort of understanding; since the three of us had no one else to sit with, we would sit together, but we wouldn't actually interact. None of us wanted _that. _

It's not like I'm this social leper or anything – my two best friends, Connor and Holly, both have different lunches than me, They're together, of course, and I'm left to eat with Eric and Adele.

I was reading _The Vampire Lestat _when there was a voice – "Hey." It surprised me. I looked up and cringed inwardly; the same boy from after art class was sitting across from me, hands folded, a small smile on his face. His expression was eager, curious.

I looked back down at my book. "Again."

"Yep."

I did my best to ignore him, but I could feel him staring at me and I couldn't focus on my book. I looked up at him. "Alright, what do you want?"

He smiled. "What's your name?"

Adele was looking at this newcomer strangely. I almost laughed. "Why do you want to know?" I asked. Seriously, who was this kid?

He frowned at that, but quickly replaced it with a smile again. "Can't you just tell me?"

"If I tell you, will you go away?"

"If you're lucky," he said with a chuckle.

"Maxi."

He looked doubtful. "Your name is Maxi?"

"No jokes," I warned. "They're not funny."

He tried to repress a grin. I could see the bad jokes forming in his mind, despite what I had said. "No jokes," he agreed. He looked away from me, to size up Adele and Eric, and I studied him carefully.

He was good-looking; there was no denying that. He was well-muscled and had a nice face. He had strong features, and his eyes were a dark golden-brown. His right cheek dimpled when he smiled.

"Is this your boyfriend?" he asked, his gaze flickering to Eric and then back to me.

"No."

He opened his mouth like he was about to say something and then changed his mind. Instead, he shifted in his seat and leaned closer to me, his eyebrows pulling together. "Why don't I know you?" he asked.

"How should I know?"

"No, really," he insisted. "What grade are you in?"

"Eleventh."

He thought about that. I was expecting him to say something about his grade or classes, but he said, "Are you doing anything after school today?"

"You said you'd go away if I told you my name," I reminded him. "I've already given you more than I promised."

He smiled at that. "And it wasn't so bad, was it?"

I rolled my eyes and went back to my book. Again, though, his stare bored into me. "Alright, seriously, what do you want?"

"To do something with you this afternoon."

"Nah," I said, closing my book and picking up my tray of food. "I'm busy."

**SETH**

Maxi. What kind of name was that? It seemed more like a sick joke than a real _name. _Was it short for Maximum or something?

But at least she had talked to me. I knew her name, and that she was a junior. She seemed pretty cool, too. My worst fear was that I would imprint on a really weird girl who I wouldn't like. Of course I'd love her, but what if I didn't _like _her? They were different; it was possible. The pack boys (and Leah), of course, knew of this fear, and didn't think it was possible, but I still worried.

As soon as school was over, I jumped in my truck and raced home excitedly. I was the last of the pack to imprint, and they loved to tease me about it. The jokes they came up with were innumerable and usually pretty stupid.

I pulled into Jacob Black's driveway first. It was a little out of my way, but he was the first person I wanted to tell. I jumped out of the truck and knocked on the front door. It was opened by Jacob's wife, Anna.

"Hi, Seth," she said, smiling and stepping aside to let me in.

I followed Anna into the living room. Her laptop was set up on the coffee table. We sat on the couch and Anna turned to me expectantly.

"I've got news," I said. "Where's Jake?"

"He's out back," Anna told me.

"I'm out where?" Jacob said, coming into the room. He was wiping his hands on a towel and there was some black stuff on his shirt from working in the garage.

"Jake's got news," Anna told him.

He nodded. "Alright, let's hear it."

"I imprinted today," I said with a grin.

Jake turned his head, looking at me carefully. "Really?"

"Really," I said.

"Hey, that's awesome, man!" Jake said, crossing the room to clasp hands and whack me on the back.

"What _is _that?" Anna asked. "Kind of a hug, but not really?"

Jake smiled. "A hug without any creepy intimacy."

Anna shook her head, chuckling, and turned to me. "So? Who is she?"

"Her name is Maxi," I said excitedly, "And I think she hates me."

* * *

**A/N: **Haha, okay so the line is credited to x3Kiome. I had originally written it a little differently, but I liked what she said, haha. (I hope you don't mind -- I can change it back if you'd like.)


	3. Three

**A/N: **I'm real sorry about how long this took, bleh. Thanks for all the reviews so far! Keep it cominnnng.

* * *

**SETH**

I woke up the next morning, and I felt good. I had finally imprinted. So she hadn't fallen in love with me the first time we met; so what? We were soul mates. She _had _to love me. That's just the way it was.

I got to school and the first thing I did, of course, was look around for Maxi. I was standing by my car in the parking lot, twisting my head in every direction, trying to find her, when my friend Ryan came up and clapped me on the shoulder.

"Jeez, Seth," he laughed, "What are you trying to do? Break your neck?"

"Not really," I replied, trying to shake off my disappointment. I shouldered my bag and walked up to the school with Ryan. He was talking about some football game he had watched, but I wasn't paying attention; I was too busy scanning the grounds for her.

"Dude, are you okay?" Ryan finally asked. I sighed. I should have known he would notice that something was up; we had been best friends since fifth grade.

"Yeah, fine," I said. "I'm just, uh… Looking for someone."

"Yeah? Who?"

"Uh, her name is Maxi. Do you know her?"

He shrugged. "Nah. Sorry."

My morning was Maxi-less. I was eager to see her in art, feeling confident that today, I would get to know her. Maybe she had just been in a bad mood yesterday.

I got to art exactly on time and my gaze immediately settled on her. She was bent over a piece of paper, drawing idly; her eyes were glazed over in boredom.

I sat down across from her, hand under my chin, and watched her. She didn't notice. "Hi," I finally said.

She shut her eyes for a moment and sighed. When they opened again, she kept them trained on her paper. "Yeah."

I was glad she wasn't looking at me when the wave of disappointment washed over. Apparently, her hostility wasn't just because of a bad mood.

"How's it going?" I asked.

"Fine."

"Glad to hear it. Me, too."

She gave a short nod and continued doodling. Now, though, she was scratching small lines instead of the elaborate flower she had been drawing minutes ago. We sat in silence; class didn't start for another five minutes, and I could tell that my staring was driving her crazy. Her lines were becoming darker and darker as she pushed down harder with the pencil. Finally, she looked up at me.

"Alright, what do you want?"

I smiled. "Can we do something after school today?"

"I'm working."

"After that, then."

She looked around slowly, maybe to make sure no one was listening. She sighed heavily. "Like what?"

The first thing that popped into my head was, "Can I take you to dinner?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Seriously?"

"Completely."

She sighed again. "Fine. Sure. Whatever."

I couldn't help myself from grinning. "Really? Sweet. Okay." I tried to think quickly – where could I take her? La Push wasn't exactly a center for fine dining. "How about… River's Edge?"

Her face fell. "Um. Yeah, sure. That works."

"What's wrong?"

She opened her mouth, about to say something, but just exhaled and sort of slumped. "Nothing. It's fine. I'll meet you there at five-thirty."

"Sounds like a date," I said. I liked the way the words sounded. I smiled.

"It may sound like that," she said, "but rest assured, it's _not._"

I was so excited. I was going to get to spend at least an hour alone with Maxi. Now, I would prove myself to her.

I got to the restaurant at five-fifteen. I was too early, but Mom had finally gotten annoyed with my high-energy level and had all but kicked me out of the house. I had gone gladly – I felt too confined and explosive in there. Now, I was sitting at a table and I didn't feel much better. I read the menu for the third time and checked my watch. Five minutes to go. I was anxious beyond belief.

And then she walked by me. Coming from the wrong direction. I was facing the only entrance, and she came from behind me. She was wearing a white blouse with black pants, and her hair was clipped back. She walked past, barely glancing at me. She did a double-take.

"Oh – hey, Seth," she said, looking a little bewildered. "I'll, uh -- I'll be right there." She quickly walked away and disappeared around a corner.

I nodded, because my voice was caught in my throat. Very shortly after that, she slid into the booth opposite me. She was still wearing the same clothes, but her hair was out of its clips, and fell forward in shaggy disarray, sort of covering her eyes.

"So." She stared at me, her head propped up on her hand, staring at me.

"You work here?" I asked.

"Mm-hmm. Four days a week." She rolled her eyes.

"Maximilianus?" I asked, struggling to pronounce it.

"Yeah?" She looked at me. "I – What the hell?!" She glanced down at herself and saw the nametag still pinned to her blouse. "Oh, shoot," she muttered, immediately unpinning it. "I keep meaning to have that changed, but I always forget…"

"That's your _name?_"

"Yeah," she said. "Maximilianus Eustacia Xaviera Leone."

I widened my eyes. "Wow. That's crazy."

"Tell me about it. It's my _parents _who are the crazy ones. 'Maximilianus' isn't even a girl's name."

"What kind of name is that, anyway?" I asked, intrigued. I actually thought it was pretty sexy.

"Latin," she said. "All my names are… But it's not like my parents did it because they hate me. My brothers and sister got kind of weird names, too."

"Like what?" I was determined to keep her talking. This was good. We were actually having a conversation, _and _I was learning more about her. She seemed distracted; she was playing with her hair and she kept yawning.

"Um… My brother is Giovanni Salvatore. We're not even Italian. My other brother is Mikhail Vladimir, which they say are Russian, and my sister is Patience Honour."

"Puritan?" I guessed. She nodded. "Wow, so… Maximilianus, Giovanni, Mikhail and Patience?"

She nodded again. "But, you know, I go by Maxi and 'Mikhail' goes by Misha. He wanted to be 'Mike', but my parents told him that he had to have the Russian nickname. So he got Misha."

"Wow," I said. "That's--,"

At that moment, a waitress came over. She seemed to know Maxi, because she stuck her tongue out at her. Maxi gave her a look.

"Hi," the waitress said brightly. "I'm Holly, and I'll be your waitress tonight. Is there anything I can get you to drink?"

"Coffee," Maxi said.

"I'll have Coke, please."

"I'll be right back with that," the girl said, flashing a huge smile before disappearing.

"So annoying," Maxi muttered, shaking her head.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Holly. My best friend."

I chuckled. "You both work here?"

She nodded. "Connor, too, but he didn't get the same hours as us." She laughed at some memory.

I nodded, and we sat there in silence for a moment. "So… How old are your siblings?"

"Giovanni's fifteen, Misha's fourteen and Patience is eleven."

"So you're the oldest, huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah. A.K.A. babysitter. Not that they need it anymore, but like I said. Crazy parents."

"I've got an older sister, Leah, and she used to absolutely hate babysitting me. And, you know, I'd hate being babysat."

"How old is she?"

"Twenty-three, I think," I said. I honestly wasn't sure.

"Is that it, just you and her?"

"Yeah."

"Lucky," she muttered. "There's like, no room in my house at all. Misha and Giovanni always have friends over and it's not like we have a big house anyway. You wouldn't believe how much noise teenage boys can make." I laughed, and she said, "Well, actually, I guess you would."

Holly came back with our drinks, gave Maxi a look I didn't understand, and left. I watched Maxi put cream into her coffee and then packet after packet of sugar, very slowly. She was staring at the cup and seemed to be lost in thought.

"Got enough sugar?" I asked.

She looked up, and her eyes were distant, almost cagey. She snapped back and seemed a little startled, looking down at her coffee. "Oh. Wow. I… Oops." She stirred faster now. "So, um…" She looked up at me, and the expression on her face surprised me. She looked almost panicked. "I have to go. Sorry."

"What? I --,"

"Sorry," she repeated, quickly jumping up. She ran into Holly as she was going. Holly said something, obviously surprised; Maxi tugged at her hair, shook her head and left. Holly shot me a look and then followed her friend.

I put my head in my hands. What had I done this time? Teased her about how much sugar she put in her coffee? It wasn't supposed to be like this.


	4. Four

**So sorry for the delay. Really, truly.**

* * *

**SETH **

"I don't know what to do anymore," I exclaimed, pacing around Jack Crow's back yard. He had joined the pack about a year after me, and lived down the road. "I… She just _left. _What am I supposed to do?"

Jack now sat in an old lawn chair and clicked the lighter in his hands, staring fixedly at it. "I really don't know," he mumbled. "Is she worth it?"

"Of course she's worth it! Well, actually, I don't know. But it's not my decision, you know? I can't just --" _Click._ "Could you stop with the damn lighter?" I knocked it from his hands, along with the leaf he was burning.

Jack chuckled, picking up the lighter and putting it in his pocket. "Alright, alright. You want my honest opinion?"

"Mhm."

"Act like nothing happened. Be real friendly, real nice. Pay her lots of attention. Girls love that sort of thing. Well… They're always begging for it from me, anyhow," he said smugly, putting his hands behind his head.

I paused, and chose to ignore his last comment. "You think that's what I should do?"

He nodded and pulled his lighter out again.

The next day, I had my plan of action down perfectly. _The _Plan of Action. The one that would win me Maxi's affection. I knew exactly what I was going to say, and what she would say, and my response. I knew how I would move, how I would look; nothing could go wrong. I had anticipated every possible reaction of hers, so nothing could screw me up. It would be perfect. She'd forgive me for whatever I had done to offend her, and we'd be friends. And that opened so many doors.

I got to school and had a mission. I felt like a single-celled amoeba; I couldn't focus on anything except getting to Maxi and following through with The Plan. In the morning, I scoured the hallways – and she was nowhere to be found. Again.

No problem. I knew she was at my lunch.

Again! Nothing.

The frustration and disappointment was almost overwhelming. And on top of that, I was really upset that I hadn't been able to use my Plan of Action. All that planning for nothing. Good God.

At lunch, after I discovered that Maxi was absent, I decided to take a walk to clear my head. I was walking through the halls when I heard it.

The classrooms along the hall I was in were almost all empty – they were special classes, like music theory and digital videography, which generally didn't start until after lunch. The noise was coming from the art room.

I stopped outside, listening. There was soft music playing, and over it, I could hear singing. A girl's voice; soprano, melodic, and really beautiful. And I knew good singing when I heard it – my mother gave voice and piano lessons as a career. This girl was good.

I shuffled quietly over to the doorway and peered in. At first, I thought it was empty – the tables were abandoned, there wasn't even a teacher at the desk. On further inspection, though, I saw the source of the singing.

She was standing with her back to me, on a stool, hair tied in two short pigtails. She had a light blue smock on and was sort of dancing as she painted and sang. And she was painting the actual wall; a huge mural of shapes and colors. I stared at it and realized it made up the earth in warm colors, and outer space in cool ones. Thanks, seventh grade art class.

And then I looked at the girl as she turned a little to paint, and I recognized her. Maxi.

"Oh, Jesus," slipped out. I clapped a hand over my mouth, too late.

She turned her head in my direction, saw me, and whipped around. I was surprised the stool didn't fall over. She stood on her stool, one hand on her hip and the other pointing a paintbrush at me accusingly. She had paint all over her smock, on her cheek, and even some in her hair, which was poking up everywhere out of pigtails and barrettes. For once, it wasn't in her face. And God, she was the cutest girl I had ever seen.

"You," she said, waving the paintbrush at me. "Stalking me, now?"

"Well, you know, it's not every day you hear music from the art room and find a girl dancing on a stool."

Her face turned red. "Yeah, well… What are you doing down here, anyway?"

"I do go to this school, you know."

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks, smart ass." She turned back to her mural but just stood there, back to me, without painting. After a few moments, she turnedaround again. "Well?"

"What?"

"I can't work with you standing there, watching me like that."

I looked at all the painting she had done. "What are you doing?"

"Painting."

"How long have you been doing this?"

"I started today."

God, she just had to make this as difficult as possible.

"All day?"

"Mhm."

"How'd you get out of class?"

She sat down on her stool. "Well, Mrs. Williams wanted a mural done. That's the art teacher, if you remember. She asked me to do it and I said yes, and she got me out of my classes for today and tomorrow, if I need it."

"You're even skipping lunch?" She pointed to a brown paper bag on the floor. "Aha."

She paused for a few moments, looking at me. She sighed. "Alright. What's up, Seth?"

My stomach reacted to her saying my name. I tried to ignore it and focus on how I was going to answer this. Should I say, 'nothing'? Or should I ask her about yesterday afternoon?

"What happened yesterday?"

She sighed heavily. "I'm sorry about that. It's just… I, um, have a boyfriend. And… yeah."

"Oh."

That sucked. If I was a good little wolf, I would have been fine with it. I had imprinted on her, but that didn't make her _mine. _Just because Sam and Emily had ended up together… And Jacob and Anna, and Kim and Jared… Well, that didn't mean it would happen for everyone, right? I should be happy that she was happy. And I was. I should be more than content to just be a friend, or a brother, or whatever she wanted from me. I would be.

But I couldn't stop myself. I was disappointed. Damn_. I'm a bad person, _I thought. _Bad wolf. Bad. _

As I was mulling this over, I realized she was still watching me. I looked up to meet her gaze.

"Look, Seth. I'm sorry, really. I shouldn't have… gone out with you."

Ouch. "Well, that's okay. Who's the boyfriend?" I couldn't help asking.

"Um… His name is Lee. He doesn't live… around here."

I nodded. "Well, sorry for interrupting. It looks really good." I gestured to her wall painting.

"Thanks," she said.

**MAXI**

I honestly felt bad. He looked pretty hurt, and confused. I just couldn't deal with it, though.

"See you around," he said as he was heading out. He paused in the doorway, and sort of smiled. "By the way," he said, "I really like how you sing."

I felt my face get hot.


	5. Five

**MAXI **

I got home, and my head hurt. I wasn't sure if it was from the paint I was around all dayn, or just from… Everything. I dropped my backpack in the doorway just as my cellphone rang.

"Jesus," I muttered, flipping it open to see who was calling. Holly. Of course. I closed it again and chucked it on the couch as I went by.

"Hi, Maxi," Misha said, coming in the door. My phone rang and he looked around, then spotted it on the the couch. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I crossed my arms. "Avoiding humanity again?" he teased.

"Not humanity," I said. "Just Holly."

"Ah."

For fourteen, my brother was a mature kid, and tall, too. His hair was a very light blonde, almost white, and came down almost to his shoulders. His eyes were wide and greenish-blue, sometimes silver in the light. He looked just like my father. Giovanni, Patience and I, on the other hand, both had dark hair and eyes like my mother. If not for my father, I would have had very strong suspicions that he was switched at birth.

"I think she left you a voicemail," Misha said.

"Where's Giovanni?" I asked, avoiding his comment.

"I think he's at Ryan's house," he said. He paused for a moment, looking at me. "You should listen."

"I already know what Holly's going to say, and I don't want to hear it."

"Now, now, don't be cynical," he said, nudging me with his elbow. In any normal sister-brother relationship, this patronizing behavior would make me, the older sister, mad. But Misha and I had a really good relationship, and I knew he was usually right, anyway. "Just listen to the voicemail. You can deal with it. Besides, that beeping is going to drive me crazy."

"Alright, fine." I got my phone off the couch and went up to my room. I sat on the edge of my bed and reluctantly accessed my voicemail. The first one I listened to was from earlier today, during her lunch.

"Max?" she said. "God, pick up. Where are you? Are you home? Don't do this again, Maxi. You can't... Nevermind. Call me back."

I sighed. Next, please.

"Maxi," Holly's voice said. "I haven't talked to you since you walked out of the restaurant yesterday. I know you don't want to hear this, but whatever. That thing with Seth? You can't just do that, Max. Walk out on people, avoid everyone. Why'd you even go out with Seth, anyway? Well… Look. I know… I know you miss Lee. But this isn't healthy, okay? You can't coop yourself up in your room every time something goes wrong. And, anyway, I talked to Seth, and he seems to really like you. He seemed really upset yesterday. You should give him an explanation or something. And, you know, maybe getting out would be good for you. Maybe if you explained... You could get… Well, whatever. You know what I'm trying to say. Just think about it, okay? I love you. Bye."

I knew exactly what she was trying to say. And I knew exactly what my answer would be… Exactly what my answer had been for the last year.

No. I would not think about it. That was the absolute last thing I wanted to do.

**SETH**

I had a headache when I finally got home. Way too much to think about. I needed Maxi in my life without scaring her away. I needed to stop being so damn annoying. What was the word? Overly persistent. Was I being like that? I sank into my couch with a sigh.

Friends. That's what we could be. Friends. I was okay with that. In fact, I was more than okay. I had thought that maybe, if it came down to this, I somehow wouldn't be okay… But now that I thought about it, I really was. A little disappointed, yes, but content all the same.

Friends.

I looked around the living room, mulling this over. My eyes settled on my mother's calendar, placed on the side table. It was three inches thick, the kind where each day gets its own paper, and you rip it off after the day passes. Each new paper had a different inspirational saying. I read today's.

_"The art of love is largely the art of persistence. –Albert Ellis." _

Damn it all.


	6. Six

**SETH**

I let a few days go by. I didn't really have a choice – I could tell she was avoiding me.

"I dunno what to tell you," Quil said when I complained to him at his house. "Actually, I do." He shifted in the couch to look at me, turning down the football game we were watching. "Listen, bud," he said. "Life's tough. Love's tougher. And if you're a werewolf, life and love alike are _extremely _tough." I thought of him and Claire; that was certainly a difficult situation. "But life has dealt us this hand because we can handle it. You imprinted on Maxi for a reason, too. Because she can handle it."

I shook my head. "Is it wrong for me to want to be with her?" I hated Albert Ellis, whoever he was, for ruining my momentary peace; I had thought being just friends would be enough for me. Now, it made my insides slightly churn. "Like, in a relationship?"

Quil shrugged. "You're a teenager, man," he said. "It's not your fault. Imprinting is a lot to go through, a lot of stuff you're not used to. I mean, you've seen the rest of us end up with whoever we imprint on -- I guess it's pretty natural to expect it. And besides," Quil said with a smile, "we can't help loving our women, right?"

"Yeah," I said, looking at the pattern in the couch's fabric. "Can't help it."

Something about Maxi's 'I have a boyfriend' excuse seemed a bit off to me. Maybe it was the strange expression she wore when she said it. Maybe I just didn't want to believe it. Either way, I decided I had to find out.

I needed to find someone who knew Maxi, but not well enough that they would tell her that I had asked.

God, what a stalker I was turning into.

I found the person I was looking for, finally. I knew her; Lacey Adams. I aslo knew who her good friends were, and Maxi wasn't among them. I had seen her and Maxi talking several times though.

I took advantage of my oppurtunity when I saw Lacey alone, at her locker.

"Hey," I said, leaning against the locker next to hers.

She smiled up at me. "Oh, hey, Seth!" she said. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah," I said. "How's it going?"

She shrugged. "Alright, yourself?"

"Pretty good."

Previously, I would have thought that Lacey was a really good-looking girl. Probably would've even considered her girlfriend-material. Now, this seemed completely out of the question.

"Hey, do you know a girl named Maxi?" I asked.

She smiled curiously. "Well, sure. Why?"

I shrugged. "I think my friend might like her. I don't know."  
Lacey smiled and shook her head. "Oh, I don't think Maxi dates."

I frowned. "She's not single?"

"No, she's definitely single... I just don't think she dates."

"Why not?"

She looked uncomfortable as she went through her locker. "I dunno. I just haven't seen her with anyone for a while."

"Maybe she's just waiting for the right guy," I murmured.

"What?"

"Nothing," I said, smiling at her. "Thanks, Lacey."

"Sure. Bye, Seth."

Maxi didn't have a boyfriend. She had _lied _to me.

I could handle that, I decided as I walked away, smiling to myself. So she didn't like me that much; at least there was the _opportunity _to be with her. Because I knew I wouldn't be able to even spite a relationship she was happy in, nevermind try to come between them. I could never do that. Oh, this made things so much easier.

As I thought about this, I tried to think of things I had seen guys in movies do to win the girl.

And another plan was born. I smiled at the genius of it.

**MAXI **

I knew I couldn't avoid Holly forever. One afternoon I got off the bus and walking home when I saw a car parked outside my house. The same silver car Holly shared with her brother. I saw her at the wheel, and Connor was sitting in the backseat.

I turned around and starting walking the other way. I heard the car rumble to a start and then it lurched into view, following me as I walked.

"Maxi," I heard Holly call. I ignored her. "Maxi-mili-anus Eusta-cia Xaviera Leone," she said slowly, Connor joining in halfway through my first name.

I turned towards them, arms crossed. "What?"  
She rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that," she said. "Get in the car."

I sighed, seeing no escape. If I made a break for my house, they would follow, and Connor could pick all the locks.

"I really don't want to do this," I told Holly.

"Do what?" she asked innocently. "Just get in the car. We're going to get ice cream."

I looked at her doubtfully. Her eyes widened. "I swear, Maxi! Come on. Scout's honor."

"Fine." I opened the door and slid into the passenger's seat, throwing my backpack in next to Connor.

Connor leaned forward between my and Holly's seats.

"So, ladies," he said. "Where to?"

"Ice cream!" Holly said, pulling away from the curb.

We went to Hodgie's, a local place known for the fact that they gave a lot of ice cream for cheap.

"So," Connor said, an eyebrow raised. We were sitting at a picnic table near the woods behind the counter with our ice creams. "Seth Clearwater, huh?"

"God!" I stabbed my ice cream with my spoon. "No!" I pressed my hand to my forehead. "I felt bad for him, I guess. I don't know. A moment of weakness, okay?"

Connor looked at me, and his expression was soft, concerned. Not in the least antagonistic.

"Don't freak, Maxi," he said, wrapping his hand around mine. "It's not a bad thing. Actually, I think it would be good. Really good."

I shook my head, my hair whipping me in the eyes. "I can't," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I can't."

"Maxi, Seth's a really nice guy," Holly said. "Don't you think it's time?" She scooted across the bench, rubbing my back.

I looked at the faces of my two best friends and felt horrible for putting them through this. It only proved what I was sure of. "I know he's nice," I said. "But I just… It will never be time. I couldn't."

I saw Holly and Connor exchange glances. Connor squeezed my hand. "Well, I think someone like Seth would be good for you," he said. "A good friend for you. I used to play football with him; he's a really upbeat guy, really positive." Connor grinned at me. "Maybe he'd rub off on you a bit, Miss Doom and Gloom."

I reached across the table and punched him in the shoulder. He laughed.

"Connor, you played football in like, sixth grade," Holly said.

"Oh, well," Connor said. "I still _know _him." Connor looked at me, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "Please, Maxi? For me and Holly?"

"And Seth," Holly added. "I'm sure he'd love the attention."

"No dating," I clarified. "Friends. _Acquaintances." _

Connor and Holly smiled. "Whatever you say, Max," Connor said, sucking on his spoon.


	7. Seven

SETH

**SETH**

As soon as the bell rang, I was in action. I had preset my locker combination; now, I opened it and pulled my backpack out. In three minutes, I was sitting on the bench in the front of the school, all ready.

I tried to ignore the curious looks I was getting, smiling at people when they stared for too long. Nervously, I went over what I had planned. It had taken me four days, and I knew it sucked; it was the thought that counted, though, right?

Then I saw her. She was coming out of the school alone, like always, her backpack slung over her shoulder. She looked up, saw me, and froze.

**MAXI**

Oh, God. Oh, God, what was this? Oh, no.

Seth Clearwater was sitting on a bench in the grassy area in the front of the school, smiling at me. From this distance, I was struck by how handsome he was. Perfectly bronze skin, a friendly, white smile, that dimple in his cheek, and his messy black hair. He was wearing a gray T-shirt and frayed jeans, the muscles in his arms and chest pronounced.

God, stop it, stop!

And he was smiling at me, almost embarrassed. A black acoustic guitar sat in his lap; he plucked it absently.

What the hell?

I walked past him without looking.

"Maxi," I heard him say, and I looked over without meaning to. He was strumming his guitar now, and I realized he wasn't calling to me, he was singing.

_Maxi – I'm not allowed to make fun_

_of your name_

_Maxi – I hate the way you hate me_

_and your silly games_

_Maxi, why can't you see?_

_Please just listen to me._

_Maxi – I like the way you sing and dance_

_Maxi – couldn't you give us a chance?_

_Maxi baby, do you hear me?_

_I want you to notice me._

There was more. He sang about how stubborn he thought I was, and how he liked my painting. A circle gathered around him, smiling and cheering. Some people looked at me; most didn't. Every verse ended with basically the same thing – asking me to pay attention to him.

I put my hand over my eyes as he finished – "Maxi, Maxi, Maxi."

The crowd that had gathered cheered. He smiled, nodding politely at the compliments he received. And he _was _good. The lyrics lacked a bit, but the guitar was flawless, and he had a great singing voice.

The crowd finally dispersed, and he was watching me carefully, his mouth pulled up into a half-smile. His eyes looked worried, though.

I ran my hand through my hair and sat on the bench next to him, backpack in my lap. I tugged at a loose thread, not looking at him.

He rested the guitar against the bench. "Did I embarrass you?" he asked, leaning forward to look at me.

I shrugged. "I don't think most people made the connection."

He nodded. "You know that movie, Ten Things I Hate About You?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Yes. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking about movies and stuff the other day. 'Ten Things' is my sister's favorite. And I thought, 'You know, this seems a lot like me and Maxi.'"

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to tell me that you're an Australian being paid to date me by my sister's would-be lover?"

He laughed and shook his head. "No, no. But I like you, and you hate me. And you know how he sings to her? Well, that's where I got the idea." He nodded to himself, sitting back. "But I don't have money to pay a band or anything."  
"I don't hate you," I said.

He looked at me and smiled. "Well, you seem to be in a pretty good mood today."  
I rolled my eyes and stood up, holding my backpack to my chest. "I'm going to miss my bus."

Seth smiled, patting the bench next to him. "I've got a car. No worries." He reached out and tugged the fabric of my backpack. "You still need to tell me what you thought of my song."

I sighed and sat down. "You play and sing really well," I told him. "Not exactly the next Shakespeare, though."

He laughed. "Yeah, that was a bit of a struggle for me."

"I am not stubborn, by the way."

He raised his eyebrows. "Is that right?"

"Would I say it if it wasn't?"

"Come to the beach with me."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because you're stubborn?"

I stood up again, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. "I did my duty; I told you about your song. Bye." I walked away quickly, still meaning to catch my bus, hopefully.

"Aw, Maxi!" He got up, following me. "Come on, stop!"

I turned and crossed my arms, looking at him. "What?"

"Weren't you listening?" He ran his fingers through his short hair. "Give me a chance, Max. Talk with me." He shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Please?"

I shook my head. "I can't. I'm sorry."

"Maxi," he said, his face suddenly becoming serious. He reached out like he was going to touch me, and then crossed his arms. He uncrossed them, sticking them in his pockets. "Maxi, listen. Can't we just hang out? Be friends?"

This was so much harder in practice than it was talking about it with Connor and Holly. "Why?" I asked, looking up at him. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

His eyes searched my face, completely solemn. "Because," he said. "Call it a sixth sense or something, but I've got this feeling… I think we'd be great together, Maxi. The best of friends, if you want. Anything you want. I _know_ we would_._"

I crossed my arms. "How could you possibly know something like that?"

He smiled. "Like I said. Sixth sense."

**SETH**

I was surprised I didn't have a nervous breakdown. I was surprised Maxi was being _reasonable. _Actually, she seemed a bit vulnerable today, like a piece of her guard had been knocked down. I got fleeting glances of it… A look she'd give me before turning away, something different in her eyes that was gone before I could register it. Maybe it was just my imagination.

"Come to the beach with me," I said again. The art of love is largely the art of persistence, right?

She blew pieces of her hair out of her face, and I fought the urge to brush them aside myself. "Fine. Let's go."

"Right now?"

"Yeah. Come on."

I looked back at my guitar. "Can I, uh…?"

"Oh, right," she said. "Yeah. Just tell me which car is yours and give me the keys."  
I smiled. This was working out beautifully, as long as she didn't take off in my car before I got there. "Right."

In the car, Maxi took out her cell phone. "Just a minute," she said to me before turning away and looking out the window.

"Hey, Holly," she said into the phone. "Mhm. Yeah, I know. I _know, _I'm not stupid… Well, actually, that's why… No. No, God, no! Would you listen, please? No, I'm in the car with him right now. God, stop it. No, I heard. Yeah. We're going to the beach now. Mm-hmm… I'll call you later. Yep. You, too. Bye."

I chuckled. "What was that?"

Maxi rolled her eyes. "Holly."

"What'd she say?"

She imitated her friend, her voice getting high. "Did you hear him outside? That was about _you!_" She paused, and I could tell she was taking out part of the conversation. "Then," Maxi said in her own voice, "she asked me where I was, and stuff."

"Aha." 

We sat in silence for a few moments. I thought about calling her out on her boyfriend-lie, but didn't want to ruin the way things were going. And they were going so well.

"Who are your friends?" Maxi asked me suddenly.

I looked at her. "What?"  
"You say we'd make such good friends, but I don't even know who _your _friends are."

"Oh," I said. "Well… Ryan Holloway, we've been good friends since elementary school."

"Is that it?"  
"No," I said. "I've got… Well, they're more like brothers, really. We're kind of like this big family."

"Who?" she asked.

"Well, you know Jack Crow, right? Him, and Collin and Brady, who are a year behind us. And then there's some older guys." I shrugged. "I spend most of my time with them. What about you?"

She told me more about Holly and her friend, Connor. I was surprised when we got to the beach; the ride seemed to have gone by very quickly.

"I like the beach," Maxi said as we walked towards the ocean. "It smells good. I should come here more."

"My friends and I have bonfires here sometimes," I said. "They're pretty fun."

She nodded. "I almost never come here."

"Really?" I asked. "It's the best place around here. I'll take you, if you want."

"Yeah?"

"Sure. Anytime you want, just give me a call."

Time with Maxi passed much too quickly than I would have liked. We talked about everything light. She told me about her siblings and asked how I could sing so well; I told her about my mother, and the voice lessons she gave.

"These shells," Maxi said, leaning down to pick up a small, swirled one, "are really pretty."

I held out my hand and she dropped it into my palm.

"Yeah," I agreed, slipping it into my pocket. "Pretty."


	8. Eight

Kay, so look. I know I haven't been updating often -- I'm sorry. I've got a lot of other stuff I'm working on, though, and they usually take priority over this story. But I'm on this huge Maxi-and-Seth kick right now, so expect more. There's still so much more of this story to go... My God.

So I'm sorry about all the delays. Keep reading and reviewing, I really appreciate it! Makes me wanna keep writing..

:Alright seriously folks, I've got three more chapters written but I'm not posting them until I get at least ONE review on this chapter.m Thanksss.

* * *

**MAXI **

It was strange, being around Seth. Like I had known him for years, though we had barely met. He was easy to talk to... A good listener and talker. He didn't talk too much, and didn't let me talk too much.

Oh, this was bad. Stupid Seth.

When I got home from the beach, I went up to my room and called Holly.

"So?" she said expectantly, answering on the first ring.

"He's nice," I said. "He's… nice to talk to."

"Is that all you did?"  
"God, Holly. Yes."

"It's a legitimate question. What'd you talk about?"

I shrugged, though she couldn't see me. "Family. Friends. Music. Stuff like that."

"_Boring _stuff," she said.

"Well, Seth's kind of funny."

"Seth's kind of _cute._"

"Bye, Holly." I hung up, sticking my tongue out at the phone.

I sighed, looking around my room, and noticed The Box poking out from beneath my bed. I knew I shouldn't, but things were so strange right now… I leaned over and picked it up, pulling it into my lap.

A shoe box. That's all.

I lifted the lid off. Staring up at me was a photo in black and white; the faces of a couple. The girl had her hand in her long hair, looking at the camera and laughing. The boy was looking at the girl, smiling. He was so familiar, achingly familiar. But the girl -- I didn't know her. I didn't want to. I hated her.

I wasn't surprised the next day when Seth sat in the chair next to me in art.

"Do you mind?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore him. "Are you bipolar or something?"

I looked at him. "Excuse me?"

He shrugged. "You've got pretty erratic moods. You haven't noticed?"

"Enlighten me."

He thought about this, tapping a pencil against his chin. Then he shifted in his chair, turning to look at me.

"Let me ask you this," he said, pointing his pencil at me. "Do I make you crazy?" He chuckled. "In a bad way, I mean. Is there something about me that you just can't stand? Be honest, here."

"God. No. There isn't."

His eyes searched my face and finally, he smiled. "Alright, then. So…"

"So?"

"So I was wondering…"

Oh, boy. I rolled my eyes. "Come on, spit it out."

"Could I sit with you at lunch?"

I thought about that and shrugged. "I don't know if Adele and Eric would like that."

"Those kids?" he said, making a face. "They're kind of weird."

"Hey," I said, pointing a finger at him. "They're my lunch crew. I probably fall under that same 'weird' category."

He smiled and shook his head. "Nah, you're too cute."

"Uh-huh." I looked away, suddenly feeling very panicked. We were in class; there was nowhere I could go. I couldn't just move my seat. "Excuse me."

I got up and took a pass, practically running to the bathroom. I shut myself into a stall, trying to control my breathing. In, out. In, out. God, how I hated this.

"So…?" Holly said after school. We were in my room; I was laying on my bed, flipping through a magazine while she painted her nails on the floor. "How's Seth?"

"Um. Fine."

"Did you talk to him?"  
"Mm."

"You're hiding something."

I looked up from my magazine, glaring at her. "Am not."

"Are too. I can tell by how short you're being."

I blew my hair out of my face, stalling. "Well. I guess."

"So?" She put the nail polish brush back in the bottle. "What happened?"

I shrugged. "In art today, he was like, 'You're cute'. And… I don't know. I kind of freaked, just a little."

She made a rueful face. "Aw, Max." She pulled herself up onto the foot of my bed, being careful not to ruin her nails. "What'd he say, after?"

"Nothing," I said. "He didn't mention it. I mean, I'm sure he noticed, and he looked kind of… put out, I guess, but he didn't say anything. And he sat with me at lunch."

She smiled. "Well, that's good. Do you like his company?"

I knew this routine. The careful questions. "Yes," I said blatantly. "I do, actually. Sometimes. Mostly, he's a little… overwhelming."

Holly nodded and patted my knee carefully. "Max, don't you think you should tell him?"

I shook my head vigorously. "What good would that do?"

"A lot of good, I think," she said. "Maybe he'd cool the act a little. Be more careful, you know? I mean, I think it's pretty obvious that he's got a crush on you. If you told him, he'd probably stop pushing it." She gave me a small smile. "And he'd understand, Max. He'd be good about it."

I sighed. "Yeah, probably. I guess you're right. I'll tell him eventually."

"Sooner, rather than later," Holly said.

I snapped my magazine open loudly, training my eyes on it. "Sure thing."

**SETH**

"She's crazy, man," I said. Collin was barely listening; he was too busy playing Halo 3. "I swear. I don't know what's going on with her."

"I know," Collin said. "You've told me like, twelve times. She's crazy. Now shut up."

"Yeah, but God, she's… amazing. I don't know how she does it. I think even if I hadn't imprinted on her, I'd still love her. She's so… mean. But not. It's like she's nice, really, but for some reason, she's mean. I don't know. It's… kind of fascinating. She's unpredictable."

Collin turned around, staring at me. He picked a couch pillow up off the floor and whipped it at me, hitting me in the chest, without breaking his stare. Then he turned around and kept playing his video game.

"Gotcha. Sorry."

**MAXI **

When I got to school the next morning, Connor was leaning against my locker, looking at his iPod.

"Morning," I said.

He smiled, moving aside. "How's it going?" he asked.

"Fine." I dumped the books from my backpack onto the floor of my locker and hung up the empty bag.

"Do you need a ride this afternoon?"  
I thought about that. "Hm. I think so. Would you mind?"

He smiled and kissed the side of my head. "'Course not. I'll see you after school, 'kay?"

I nodded. "Thanks, Connor." He disappeared into the crowd. I watched him go and saw Seth across the hall, arms crossed. "Hey, Seth," I called.

He smiled and walked over, arms still crossed. "Maxi."

"Hi."

Seth looked down the hallway. "Boyfriend?"

"What? I don't --" I bit my lip. "Who?"

"That kid that was just here."

"Oh, him?" I laughed and looked at Seth. His eyes were tight... confused, maybe. "God, no. That was Connor. _Connor._"

He relaxed visibly. "Oh. Oh, right," he said, nodding. He was quiet, watching me; I went back to gathering my books for first period. "So, are you busy this afternoon?"  
"Um…" I froze, running my fingers through my hair. "Yeah. Actually."  
"Work?"

"Something like that."

I looked at him, and he raised an eyebrow. I just shrugged. "Well, what about tomorrow?"

"Um…" I chewed my thumbnail. "I've got work, actually. Until four." I watched his face fall a little, and felt bad. Worse than I should have felt, if I was smart. "Look, today's not such a good day… But you could pick me up after work, I guess. Did you have… something in mind?"

He shrugged. "Beach, maybe, if you want."

I sighed, squeezing my eyes shut to think about this. To reason with myself. After just a few seconds I was ready to say no, ready to come up with another excuse. When I opened Seth was smiling at me hopefully.

"Sure, Seth."

I wanted to hit myself. But He grinned, his cheek dimpling. "Great. Awesome. So, tomorrow, then. I'll pick you up at four. Do you need to go home or something before we...?"

"Um, no. Unless you mind me smelling like coffee and food."

He smiled. "I like coffee and food. Food, especially."


	9. Nine

**SETH**

Something was different about Maxi when I picked her up from work the next afternoon. Her eyelids were droopy, and she seemed a little spacey. Her replies didn't come as quickly or sharply. She seemed subdued.

"Feeling okay?" I asked her as we drove.

She turned to me, studying me for a moment. "Just tired," she said, looking back out the window.

"Rough day?"

"Rough night. I didn't get much sleep." She breathed on the window and traced a pattern with her fingertip. "You weren't in school today."

"Yeah."

"Are you sick?" She glanced over at me.

"Nope. Perfectly fine. I was… out late last night." I couldn't tell her I had been out all night and into the morning with the boys, following a bloodsucker scent beyond the Canadian border.

"Tired?" she asked as she stifled a yawn.

"Not really." I grinned at her. "I slept all day."

"Lucky. Wish I had."

"What kept you up last night?"

She shrugged. "Bad dreams."

When we got to the beach, Maxi left her shoes in the car. She collected shells as we walked. "So," she said after about a half hour of walking, sinking into the sand, "what's up, Seth?"

I lowered myself down beside her. _Well, Maxi, I'm in love with you, and you're sending me hugely mixed signals. _"Nada."

"Do you like my shells?" Her cupped hands were full of them; now, she spilled them onto the sand in front of us.

"You like these ones, huh?" I asked, touching a small, swirled shell. The same one she had showed me the last time we were here.

"Yeah," she said. "My mom has a lamp filled with them."

I laughed. "Well, that's… different."

"Yeah," she agreed, smiling as she looked at her shells. "It's cooler than it sounds." I raised an eyebrow. "God, honestly, it is."

I laughed. "You say that a lot."

"Say what?"

"'God'."

She chuckled and chewed her nail. "Yeah," she said, her voice slightly muffled. "I know. Bad habit. Does it like, offend you?"

"Haha, no."

Looking at her, I decided this was as good a time as any. I reached into my pocket and laid its contents on top of her pile of shells.

She picked it up. It was just hemp, knotted with the same pattern Leigha had taught me when I was twelve, with Maxi's shells tied into it.

"Did you make this, Seth?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," I said. "You… You said you liked the shells, right?"

She nodded. "You got them here?"

"Mm-hmm."

"When?"

"Well… I came here the other day."

She looked at me, and her eyes were sad. She was turning the necklace over and over in her delicate hands. "Why, Seth?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Well, you like the shells." This wasn't supposed to make her _sad. _I felt a few raindrops on my head. Perfect.

She shook her head. "Why are you so nice to me?"

"Maxi…" I looked at her, surprised. "What's wrong?"

She stood up, pulling me to my feet. Then she held out her hand, the necklace lying across her palm.

"I can't, Seth."

"Maxi, what are you… Why?"

"I… I just _can't. _I have --,"

"Don't tell me you have a boyfriend, Max," I blurted out. "Don't. I know it's not the truth."

She gaped at me. "What? How did you… When…?"

"I found out a while ago. I didn't want to say anything." Suddenly, all the anger and confusion from the past few weeks surfaced. "Why would you _lie, _Maxi? I mean, if you don't see me like that, it's fine – really, it is. Just _tell me._ But don't make excuses, or lie about it. I'll be fine. Just have the decency to tell me, so I know."

She was shaking her head, looking at the ground, her hair flopping into her eyes. "I didn't want to lie to you," she said. "It's just… God, it's just so confusing… I'm so…" She pressed her palms to her eyes.

"Maxi." I reached out to her, touching her shoulder. She was shaking.

"I hate that I get like this!" she said, her hands balling into fists. "God, this _sucks _so immensely!"

It was raining now, for real. I wouldn't have noticed, except that Maxi was getting wet.

"What's wrong, Maxi?" I asked quietly, my fingertips brushing her cheek. "You can tell me, really. Is there something else?"

She looked up at me, and I could see _her _confusion and sadness so clearly. "I just… I don't want you to get hurt."

That was bittersweet. Mostly bitter. What a line. It stung.

"I said you don't have to lie," I said tightly.

"I'm not _lying, _Seth!" She pulled away from me. "I can't _do _this_. _I can't."

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"Seth," she said. "I am not good for you. Or anyone. I'll only bring… bad things."

I shook my head. "What are you talking about? No, you --,"

"Yes, I will," she said, sounding completely sure of herself. She had the eerie sound of someone with terminal illness, who had accepted that they were going to die. "I'm _bad, _Seth. I'm like, bad luck or something. I don't know. But I don't want to bring you that."

My throat and eyes burned, and I was glad for the rain. This whole situation was so weird. "Maxi, don't be --,"

She looked at me, eyes soft. "Shut up, okay?" She opened my hand and put her necklace into it, curling my fingers around it. I noticed that she looked surprised when she touched my skin. "Seth, are you sick?"

"No," I said. "No, I'm fine. Well, actually, I do feel a little sick, but I've got this feeling it's not --,"

She shook her head and dropped my hand. "You don't understand. I'm not _normal. _Everything I do… _Anything… _I just can't. I'm sorry."

She turned and started walking away.

"Where are you going to _go_?" I called after her. It was really raining now.

"Holly," she called back without looking, "lives close."

"Let me drive you!"  
I could see her shake her head as she broke into a jog. I stood on the beach, necklace in my fist, watching her run away. And it was raining.

Oh, Maxi.

**MAXI**

When I was out of sight, I ran into the shelter of some trees, leaning against one and taking deep, shuddering breaths.

That was so much harder than it should have been. But it was over now. It was alright. Seth would be alright. So I hadn't given him the whole story – he got the message.

I took out my cell phone and stabbed Holly's number.


	10. Ten

**MAXI **

Seth came to my window that night. It was still raining hard, and at eleven o'clock at night, he was outside my window, screaming up at me. I put headphones on and went to bed.

The next days at school, I made a point of avoiding him. In the morning, I got to my locker early and went to class. Before art, I stayed in the bathroom as long as I could so I was just barely on time, and took a seat away from Seth. At lunch, I did the same thing. The first day or two, I caught him staring, looking sad and confused. Then he stopped, and part of me hoped he stopped caring, too.

A bigger part of me knew that was the _last_ thing I wanted.

The fourth morning, there was a piece of paper sticking out of the vent in my locker. I took it, knowing who it was from.

I knew I should crumple the paper up, throw it away. Stick it in The Box and forget about it... Forget about him altogether.

I opened it. It was a short note, written in messy, cramped scrawl.

_Maxi - _

_I'm going to be blunt: I miss you. _Please_ stop avoiding me. For the sake of fairness, can we please just talk? I'm begging you here._

_Yours, Seth._

Seth. Oh, sweet Jesus. My chest ached, not an unfamiliar feeling. How had I let this happen? I knew avoiding him wasn't helping – if anything, it was hurting him, which was exactly what I was trying to _avoid. _So… I'd have to give him the full explanation.

The entire morning, I was nervous for art class. I could hardly concentrate on anything. When it was time for art, I tried to decide whether I wanted to skip class or get there as fast as possible. I settled for walking. Normalcy.

I ended up getting to class a little early; I was one of the first ones there, and Seth wasn't among them. I sighed and took a seat, opening my sketchbook and trying to throw myself into doodling.

"Is this seat taken?" a deep, familiar voice asked.

I looked up. Much to my annoyance, my heart sped up and my stomach did an uncomfortable flip-flop. Seth was looking down at me, but he looked strange. His features were taught, his eyes tired. I shook my head, and he sat down, hands folded on the tabletop.

"Are you sick?" I asked him.

He shook his head and gave me a weak smile. "No. I'm just… I haven't been sleeping very well."

"I'm sorry."

He looked at me. "Can I be honest with you, Maxi?"

"Can you wait?" He looked a little surprised. "I've got… something I should tell you, too."

He watched me, his face more serious than I'd ever seen it. "Yeah. Yeah, of course."

"Beach, after school?"

His eyes scanned the room. "Sure. That works."

At lunch, Seth sat with me. We – mostly me – tried to keep conversation going, but it was weird. I could see Seth trying to pull himself out of his dark mood, but he seemed distracted, on edge. Eventually, we gave up, and I studied Seth as he ate his lunch quietly. It was so strange, seeing this sudden change in him. The smile that was always on his face was gone, his happy-go-lucky attitude replaced by this tired sadness.

It was like the sun had been extinguished. And it was my fault the world was going cold.

After school, Seth was waiting for me in his car. I threw my backpack in the backseat and we drove in silence. Normally, he was always asking questions, eager to listen and share. Now, he stared at road, face impassive.

I wondered if he hated me. I wouldn't be surprised. In his eyes, I had rejected him. But why did that thought hurt _me _so much?

We pulled up to the beach and got out. We had barely walked down the beach when Seth sat down. I sat across from him, and he looked at me for a few moments.

"Thanks," he said, "for coming here with me."

"Are you okay, Seth?" I asked without thinking.

He frowned and ran his fingers through his hair. "Honestly?"

Oh, boy. Here we go. "Yeah. Honestly."

"No," he said. "I'm kind of not. I… I don't know what to do anymore, Maxi. I'm out of ideas. You keep pushing me away."

"So give up."

"You make it sound so easy," he muttered. "I _can't. _I love you, Max. When you love someone, you don't just give up on them, right?"

I shook my head. "You should. Really."

"Why?" He slid forward and wrapped his hand around mine. When he looked at me, all the impassiveness was gone. I could see his concern, and confusion, and sadness, and everything else all mixed up. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "It's so hard, Seth. I can't…"

"Maxi, do you trust me?" he asked.

"...What?"

"I know we haven't known each other long, but do you trust me? I want to be here for you. I want to help, but I can't unless you let me." I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. He squeezed my hand. "Come on, Max. You can tell me anything. Just let me in. I'm here."

**SETH**

I knew there was something more going on. I was almost sure it had nothing to do with me – there was something _else_. The torment on her face broke my heart; I couldn't think of anything except her. The need to protect her from whatever was hurting her was almost overwhelming. I realized then… I would do anything for Maxi. _Be _anything. Need a friend? I'm there. Want another brother? Hey, that can be me, too. She had brought me such a feeling of completeness, just by existing. I would do anything for her. I just needed to stop thinking so much. This realization almost made me laugh out loud -- almost.

She exhaled loudly and looked at the sand, and I focusd my attention on the present situation. "Remember when we wanted to go to the beach?" she asked. "And I said I was busy, but it wasn't work?"

I nodded, but she still wasn't looking at me. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, I… I was going to therapy. Group therapy."

Well, that sure took me by surprise. "That's okay, Max," I said consolingly. "Lots of people go to therapy. That's --,"

She shook her head. "It's different," she whispered. "I… I killed my boyfriend, Seth."


	11. Eleven For Real

**I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THAT. I have NO idea what happened. This chapter was saved in my documents, and I just added the wrong one...? I don't know D: I'm sorry! To make up for it, I'll post the next chapter tonight, I swear.**

**And to 0xym0r0nic -- your review made me laugh a lot. Huzzah! **

**ONWARD.**

**SETH**

I laid in bed, thinking about all that Maxi had told me. It was a hell of a lot information to take in at once; I was exhausted, my brain full to bursting. I could only imagine how Maxi felt. Could she even sleep? I was worried about her, and felt so _stupid. _I should have known. I should have been there. She needed me and I was _there_, but so clueless. I should have known.

But it felt good to know she trusted me enough to share this with me. Like we were finally making progress in our relationship, whatever that may be. She was accepting that I was here to stay. She had let me in.

**MAXI **

I stared at myself in the mirror, trying to see what Seth saw in me.

"You're so strong," he had said. "I really admire that."

As I looked at myself, I knew the truth. I was weak. I had shut out the people who loved me and wanted to be there, because I wasn't strong enough to recognize the truth. Accepting their pity and help meant accepting that Lee was really dead.

Suddenly, it wasn't myself I saw in the mirror. It was a girl a little younger than me, wearing my brother's Harvard T-shirt. She looked sick, with a gaunt face and dark circles under her haunted eyes.

Angrily, she gathered her long, sleek black hair at the nape of her neck and worked it into a rough braid. Picking up heavy-duty scissors, she hacked through the thick braid. She wore a darkly determined expression as she stared at her reflection. When she managed to cut the braid off, she shook her remaining hair loose. It was short, messy, shaggy. She wound an elastic around the top of the detached braid, which she now held in one hand, and threw it in her trashcan.

And then it was my own surprised face I was looking at. Tentatively, I reached up and touched my hair. It was longer now, but still short.

I snapped my light off, hoping this wasn't going to start a trend of some sort. I walked carefully over to my bed and slid underneath my sheets, closing my eyes slowly. I didn't want to do anything to set off my wayward mind.

The next morning, I awoke feeling exhausted, like I hadn't slept at all. It seemed strange to go to school and follow the same routine. For some reason, for me, it seemed like a lot of things had changed. All I had done was tell Seth a story, really. I had done it before, and I would probably do it again. But this felt different.

I knew what the difference was – this was the first time telling the story to someone my age, on the same level as me. Not someone who was trained to listen and be accepting. Someone real. I didn't know what he thought he was gaining, but for some reason, even after listening, he still wanted to be around. He didn't think I was insane or screwed up.

"It wasn't your fault, though," he had said.

"But, I mean… everything after… you don't think I'm crazy?"

He snorted, but his eyes were still soft. "No, you're definitely crazy," he said, and smiled. "But I think you were born like that."

I had punched him in the arm.

At school, Seth was waiting at my locker. "Morning, sunshine," he said, smiling as I approached.

"Hey."

"How'd you sleep?"

I spun the dial on my locker combination and shrugged. "Fine. I had some weird dreams."

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "Me too."

I focused on shoving my books in my locker and realized Seth was still staring at me. "Gotta problem?"

He smiled. "I was just wondering if you wanted to do something tonight."

I raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Come to my house, meet some of my friends? They're cool, I promise. And they'd love to meet you."

I thought about that, and made a face.

"Maaa-aaax!" he whined, sticking out his bottom lip in a pout. "Please? For me?" He blinked sadly.

I rolled my eyes. "You're impossible."

Seth was at my house at exactly 7:00 that night.

"So what are we doing, exactly?" I asked as I climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Just hanging out," he said. "I promise, it'll be fun." As Seth drove, he was his light-hearted self again, teasing me and asking me about my day. "Here we are," he said, pulling into a driveway. It had seemed like hardly a few minutes.

"Where is _here, _exactly?"

"Sam's house."

"Sam."

"Yes, Sam."

He climbed out of the car and jumped over the hood, opening my door for me. We walked up to the front door and he paused, listening. I heard noise inside; he grinned at me and pushed the door open.

"Honey, I'm home!" he sang.

I heard a male voice call back, in a nasally tone, "You got some 'splainin' to do!"

I laughed, and Seth smiled at me. "Looks like we found the party."

I followed him into the kitchen of the small house. Actually, it wasn't that small – it was probably the six large men inside that made it look like a dollhouse. They were all at least six feet tall, like Seth. A second look around the kitchen showed me two women and a girl of about eight.

"Hey guys. What's up?" Seth asked. They all called their greetings, a loud roar of deep voices. "Guys, this is my friend, Maxi." He moved behind me. "Maxi, this is… the guys."

I heard a feminine, "Ahem!"

"Right, sorry," Seth said. "The women can get a _proper _introduction. Woman-to-woman. That's Sam's wife, Emily," he said, gesturing to the older of the two women, in her thirties. I saw she had three scars across her face, deforming her otherwise very pretty face. A man wrapped his arm around her waist and they smiled. Sam and Emily, Sam and Emily. I tried to commit it to memory.

"And her over there," Seth said, pointing to a younger blonde girl, "that's Rose, Embry's girlfriend."

"Hi, Maxi," Rose said enthusiastically. A chorus of greetings followed, and then they all went back to talking.

Then, I expected Seth to go over and talk to his friends, but he moved to my side. Leaning down slightly to look at me, he said quietly, "Overwhelmed yet?"

"Ha. Just slightly."

"Excuse me? Hell-_o_?" I heard a little voice calling.

"What is it, Claire?" one of the men asked, looking at the little girl. He was a bit shorter than the others, but a lot more built and stocky.

She made a face and pointed at Seth. "I didn't get an introduction. Don't I count as a woman?"

They all laughed, and Claire seemed pleased.

Seth smiled. "See? They're fun, I promise. We're going to have a cook-out tonight. It will be great."

"A cook-out?" I repeated.

"A cook out," he said, and grinned.

* * *

Yeah, so not exactly what you wanted, right? I'm sorry. This was so hard to write. I didn't want to do this huge info-dump in two chapters, and besides, I really missed the pack bruthas. I promise, I promise, the next chapter will be up soon. I'm sorry this took so long, and was so unsatisfying. If it was stiff and weird, I'm sorry. It was reeeeally hard to write.


	12. Twelve

**MAXI **

"Come on," Embry called. "You and Seth can come with us."

It was getting dark and chilly. Everywhere there was movement and noise as Seth's huge friends prepared for the cookout, running here and over there and calling to each other from the driveway to the house. The energy and excitement was palpable, and I couldn't help but get swept up in it. Seth was right – his friends were fun. It didn't take long after I arrived to realize that most of them were just oversized, goofy, good-natured boys like Seth.

Seth and I followed Embry to his truck, each carrying a cooler of food. I couldn't believe the amount of food they thought they could eat. There was enough coolers to feed a small country.

We loaded our coolers and climbed in the backseat. Looking out the window, I saw a white pick-up truck also pulling out of Sam's driveway.

* * *

"I just don't get it," Maxi said, holding the city map at arms length and squinting at it. "It's supposed to be right around here."

Lee laughed and reached over her shoulder, turning the map. "Well, it might help if you hold it right."

"Oh." She looked up at him and smiled. It was twilight, the sky an inky purple, white stars beginning to shine. The air was buzzing with the life of city nights, electric.

Lee brushed her hair out of her face, gathering the huge length of it in his hands and draping it over her shoulder. "So where are we going, Miss Travel-Guide?"

"Um…" She focused her attention back on the map. "Oh, there it is! Look, I found it!"

"Really?" he said, looking at the spot she was jabbing with her fingertip.

"Mm-hmm! I'm positive."

He took the map from her as she bounced ahead, frowning at the map in his hands. "I dunno, babe," he called to her. "I don't think that's it…"

"No, it is!" she insisted. He looked up; Maxi was standing just a few feet up the road, waiting at a crosswalk, hands on her hips. "Come on, it's getting late!"

"Hon, I don't --,"

Lee stopped. Maxi registered the panic on his face as his eyes flitted from her to somewhere beyond. "Max!" he yelled, his voice strangled.

Instinctively, Maxi turned to look behind her and saw two headlights, speeding far too close to the sidewalk. Suddenly, something hit her full in the chest, knocking her several feet onto the sidewalk. She landed on the sidewalk, stunned. Before she could comprehend what had happened, she heard a sickening thud and the squeal of brakes. Someone screamed, and she sat up, her head spinning.

In the harsh light of headlights of a white pick up truck, she saw Lee's broken body laying in the street.

Someone was screaming. It was too loud Maxi's head, much too loud. Faintly, she could hear people yelling.

"What the hell? Who --,"

"Someone see if he's alive!"

"Don't move him, call an ambulance!"

"He's not breathing! God, someone call --,"

She saw the stars up above, and slowly it faded to black, the noises mulling together and fading to nothing.

_Lee, Lee, Lee, _she thought. _What have you done? I'm so sorry. _

* * *

A woman leaned over Maxi, her face blurred as Maxi blinked. "How do you feel, honey?" the woman asked. She was in her mid-forties with dark skin and eyes, and a kind face. Unfamiliar, though.

Maxi looked around. White walls, a metallic beeping sound, a burning antibacterial scent… A hospital. Suddenly, last night's events came back to her. Last night's? She had no idea how long it had been.

"Where's Lee?" she demanded, sitting up. The nurse's expression softened. "Is he… dead?" Maxi sat up; she wasn't hurt. As far as she could tell, the only thing had to show for the accident were scraped hands and knees.

"_Where is he?_" Maxi shrieked. "Where the hell is Lee?"

She saw her mother sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, looking at Maxi with a pained expression. She stood up and exchanged a look with the nurse, and then went to Maxi's bedside.

"Honey..." her mother said in a quiet voice. "Lee's in the Intensive Care Unit. He's… He's not doing too well."

* * *

"Maxi?"

Seth was looking at me, eyebrows drawn, looking concerned. I glanced around at my surroundings; Seth and I were seated in the backseat of Embry's truck, and he and Rose were in the front seat, talking.

I looked back at Seth, blinking.

"Are you okay?" he asked, hand moving into the space between us and quickly withdrawing. I looked at Seth, and it was like I was seeing him for the first time. His kind, open face, his warm eyes… And I acknowledged the comfort I took in his unwavering friendship. I felt _safe _with him, and I had a feeling it was because of more than his size.

I reached over and took his hand in mine, squeezing it. His skin was warm and rough. "I'm good," I told him, and smiled reassuringly. For the first time in a long time, I actually _felt _it, too.


	13. Thirteen

Very short chapter, I apologize. I promise the next one will be super duperly long!

* * *

**MAXI**

"Dude!" Quil yelled suddenly, hand whipping out to smack Jared. "Leggo my eggo!"

"It's not an eggo," Claire said, and yawned. "It's a sausage."

Quil chuckled, still glaring at Jared. "That's true."

The three of them were sitting around the dying fire, along with Seth and I, Emily and Sam, Quil and Claire, Embry and Rose, and Jared and Kim. There had been more people, but they had either gone home or slipped away into the night.

It was chilly, but the fire was warm. It cast a faint, orange glow on the tired faces of those sitting around the fire. I had eaten so much, I felt exhausted, but very alert at the same time. And there was something else, too. Things felt different between Seth and me. I couldn't put my finger on it exactly, but it felt as if something had shifted.

Like he was reading my mind, Seth leaned closer to me and whispered, "Want to go for a walk?"

I looked at him. If any other guy had proposed this, my immediate answer would be, 'No, you pig.' But it was different with Seth. I knew him. I knew he wasn't like that. So I said, "Sure."

"We're going for a walk," Seth declared to the rest as we stood up. "Later." Jared's suggestive eyebrow movements didn't escape my noticing.

I followed him around the campfire as he began to walk down the beach. For a while, we walked in silence. I crossed my arms over my chest against the chilly night air.

"Cold?" Seth asked.

"Kind of."

Seth looked at me carefully, then reached out and touched his fingertips to my hand. When I didn't pull away, he entwined his fingers through mine. "Is this okay?" he asked.

I tried to think about this and be unbiased. _I am a normal girl. A cute, tall, really nice, _warm_ boy is holding my hand. Is that okay? _The fluttering sensation in my stomach and the fact that my heart was trying to lunge into my throat told me yes.

"Yeah," I said. "Your hand is really warm."

He laughed. "Yeah, I know."

"Like, _really _warm. A lot."

His fingers, wrapped around mine, loosened. "Sorry. Am I hurting you?"

"No," I said quickly. "I'm cold anyway, remember?"

"Right." He stopped walking and turned towards me, standing less than a foot away. His eyes studied mine for a moment. "Thanks for coming tonight," he said. "Means a lot to me."

"Yeah, the hotdogs were really sentimental."

He smiled. "Definitely." His face became serious again. "Can I ask you something?"

I swallowed. "Um. Sure."

He studied my face. "Do you still love Lee?"

I sighed and shrugged. "In a way. I'm not _in _love with him; it's not like I pine for him constantly. But I think I will always love him. Does that make sense?"

I could see Seth thinking about that. "Yeah, actually, it does. I get it."

I smiled. "You're good at that. Getting things."

"Well, it's not easy with you," he laughed, "but I manage."

When he looked at me, I knew what had shifted between me and Seth. I had realized -- fully realized -- that I had let go of Lee. Maybe not his death, but him as a lover. And maybe, just maybe, I was ready for something more.

As I thought this, I could hear my heart racing in my chest. "Maxi," Seth whispered, leaning his head down towards me a little. "I've never cared about anyone as much as you. Did you know that?"

"Cheese-ball."

Then his lips were on mine, warm and soft, gently pressed against mine. Barely a moment passed before he pulled away, staring at me intently. He looked hopeful and vulnerable, but very serious. I saw the question in his eyes. _Is this okay? _

I brushed my fingertips along his jaw. "It's okay," I whispered, my voice caught in my throat.

He closed his eyes for a minute and smiled, wrapping his hand around my fingertips and putting them to his lips. "Max," he said softly, voice a bit rough. "Is this what you want?"

"I don't know," I answered.

"I want you to be comfortable. I don't want to push anything on you. We've got all the time in the world, you know. If you don't want to --,"

I rolled my eyes and stood on my toes, kissing him again. "Well, we can take it slow and see."

He smiled. "Slow. I can do that."

* * *

Okay, I want to emphasize the idea that it has been a year since Lee's death. She suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, not I-hate-men-syndrome . And she's a teenager. She's almost as susceptible to love as anyone else, once she lets them in. And Seth is very persistent and cute. Just so we're all clear on that.


	14. Fourteen

Yay, fluff!

* * *

**MAXI**

Slowly, I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings through foggy eyes. The morning light was coming in through the blinds on my windows. I yawned, feeling rested.

And it was Saturday! Hallelujah. I sat up slowly, crossing my arms on my knees. Last night had been so strange. Had I honestly kissed Seth?

I fell back on my bed, feeling a wave of guilt. It was wrong, wrong, wrong. Last night had been bad.

But what had been so bad about it? I reasoned with myself. I had kissed a boy that liked me. A boy who was sweet and funny and caring, who I might honestly be interested in.

Instinctively, I recoiled at the thought. My stomach churned.

"Misha!" I called. It was ten in the morning – everyone would be up by now. "Miiiii-sha!"

A few moments later, my door opened. Misha looked in curiously. "What's up, sis?" he asked.

"Come sit."

He sat on the end of my bed, looking at me. "You look good," he told me.

"Thanks. I think."

He laughed. "So what's going on?"

"Well…" I grimaced. "I have a problem."

"Seth Clearwater?"

I widened my eyes at him. "How did you know?"

"It's a small town, Maxi. Word gets around."

"Holly?" I guessed.

"Bingo."

"Do you think it's wrong?"

Misha looked at me carefully. "I think Seth's pretty cool, and you seem a lot happier than you've been in a while. So, no." He reached over and squeezed my hand. "And Lee would want you to be happy, sis."

* * *

"You know what I say to that?" I whispered. "I say, I don't have to be here if you're going to do that."

"Aw, but you like it," Seth whispered back. "You know you do."

I rolled my eyes. "I have a _life _that doesn't have to include _you _trying to scare me to death."

"Ah, and the lioness has grown her claws back!" Seth said. "I didn't know they could regenerate."  
"It's not regeneration," I told him. "They're retractable."

"Right." Seth licked his lips and stared at the TV screen. "Shit, she's gonna eaten!" he said. "Pass me the popcorn."

Seth and I were sitting on a couch in his basement, watching an indie zombie movie. The lights were out, because we both agreed scary movies were no fun in the light. But Seth kept whispering creepy things about zombies, trying to scare me. And I hated to admit it, but it was working.

"Don't _tell me_!" I hissed. "I haven't seen this yet!"

"Here we go… Right here, ouch! That's gotta hurt," he said as a zombie ripped a girl's neck out.

"Would you be quiet, please? You're ruining it."

He laughed and took the bowl of popcorn from my lap. "What if they came in through that window, Max?" he said, pointing to the small one in the wall. "Think it could fit? It's right on ground level…"

"Stop it," I said, pulling my legs up and wrapping my arms around them. "Zombies aren't real."

"What about over there?"

I looked at the black maw of his closet, left ajar. "That's a closet. They wouldn't be in there."  
"But what if they _are?_" he whispered.

Instead of paying him attention, I watched as the four remaining human characters in the movie shut themselves in a barn. They were looking around frantically, oblivious to the zombie climbing to his feet behind them. Its had rotting flesh, deadened eyes and blood all over its neck and mouth. Just as it was about to clamp its hands on one of the characters, Seth yelled in my ear.

I screamed at the top of my lungs and jumped to my feet, heart racing. "_Seth Clearwater!" _I screamed. "That was _not funny!" _

Seth thought differently, of course. He was on his side, hands around his stomach, laughing hysterically. He looked up at me for a second and started laughing all over again.

"You're such a _jerk!" _I smacked his leg. "Jesus, that wasn't funny!"

"Quiet," he gasped, still cracking up. "My mom will… come down here."

I picked up the popcorn bowl, pushed his legs out of the way and sat down, arms crossed. "That was _mean._"

"Sorry," he said, still laughing as he sat up, though now it sounded like wheezing. "I couldn't resist."

I tried to glare at him, but couldn't resist laughing a little. "Juvenile."

"Yeah, but it was hilarious."

"Ju-ve-nile."

"You're just mad because you know I totally just owned you," he said. I threw a pillow at him. "Hey! Who's the juvenile one now?!"

I looked at him. "You."

He laughed. "You're funny, Max," he said. "One day, you're so sweet and nice, and the next you're vicious again." He curled his fingers to look like claws, dragging them along my arm.

"I'm not vicious."

"You definitely are."

"Am _not,_" I argued indignantly.

He looked at me in earnest. "Maxi. What was last night?"

Oh, shit. I had been hoping he wouldn't bring this up. "Way to be random."

"Lat night," he repeated. "Is that still…?"

"I don't know. I was thinking about it a lot, and I don't know."

He nodded. "Yeah. Me, either."

_Me, either? What was that supposed to mean? Me, either. As in, I don't know, either. _I raised an eyebrow. "So you mean you're finally coming to your senses?" I realized that this, too, panicked me. The thought that Seth might change his mind about me and leave was… so close to unbearable. I wasn't comfortable with that at all.

"What?" he asked, looking startled by my question. "No! I mean, I have my… I mean, no, I –" He snapped his mouth shut. "I didn't mean anything, actually. Just that if you don't know, I don't know."

"Right," I said, nodding slowly. I could feel the panic rising anyway.

"Maxi," he said, looking at me carefully. "What are you thinking about?"

I stared at the TV. "Zombies."

"Really."

I could feel it building up. Word-vomit. "Actually, I'm thinking about how I have absolutely no idea what I want, and how much it sucks, and how I really like you and I'm so much happier around you but it's so hard to move on, and I just feel mixed up all the time, and I just really don't want you to l--,"

"Maxi," he said softly. "Look at me, please." Reluctantly, I turned my face towards him, tearing my eyes away from the TV at the last possible second. Instead of the confusion I was expecting, I saw a sort of satisfied happiness on his face. "You mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"You're so much happier around me?"

"Um... Well, yeah."

He smiled. "Good. I'm glad to hear it. I already knew all the other stuff, that you haven't really moved on and everything. I didn't know that other part_, _though."

I stared at him. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "But I make you happy, so it's okay."  
I shut my eyes, seeing where this was going. He would probably use this to tease me for days. "I guess that makes me crazy, too."

"Then we're crazy, happy people. Ha! Get it? Crazy happy? Like insanely happy?" He slapped his leg. "Ha, ha, ha."

"That was really lame."

He grinned. "Yeah."

Strangely, this teasing routine made me calm down. I stopped feeling like I was about to fall off the face of the planet.

"You know, that's what matters to me," he said.

"What?"

"That you're happy. I'm sorry if I make you… mixed up. I know you think I'm a cheeseball," he said, and smiled, "but really, what matters to me is that you're happy. So I guess I'm saying, whatever you want is good with me."

"What if…" I sighed, staring at the popcorn bowl. My heart was racing. I didn't know how to say this, or if I even wanted to. "What if… I want to move on? What if I'm almost better, but this is messing me up a little more?"

I looked at him, hoping he understood what I meant. His eyes were fixed on the floor, though, and he looked distant all the sudden. "Oh. I… I get it. So I should just… Yeah." He nodded and looked at me. "Okay. I'm – I'm sorry. I get it."

"What?" I scrunched up my face, confused by the hurt in his voice. "What are you saying?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "If I'm… making it too hard for you... Well, I get it. I'll just leave you alone."

"No!" I exclaimed, so loudly I surprised myself. I pulled his arms away from his chest, and realized his hands were shaking violently. I squeezed them, realizing what he thought. "Seth, no, that's not what I meant. That's not it at all."

He looked at me. "Then _what?_"

"I…" I stared at our hands, entwined together on the couch. His were still shaking in mine. I looked at the TV screen, the popcorn bowl, Seth's confused face. "I _meant, _I want to move on. I want to get past… Lee's death. And I was almost there, but then you came along and --,"

"I know," he interrupted, looking sad. "I made it worse."

I shook my head. "No, Seth. It's just different, I guess. See, I want to… be with you." I swallowed, realizing how true this was. "It's just going to take me longer, I think. To get used to this."

He stared at me. "Honest?"

"Honest."

He smiled and leaned forward, pulling me against his chest, hand rubbing circles on my back. I rested my head on his shoulder. "So you get it, though?" I whispered.

"Yeah," he said, and I could feel his voice resonate in his chest and throat. "I think so." He kissed the top of my head and pulled away. "I think we're missing our movie."

"No kidding."

I started trying to focus on the TV again, but I could feel his eyes on me. I turned to look at him.

"Max," he said, "you're pretty open with me, right?"

I nodded and slipped my hand into his. He entwined his fingers with mine, tracing a small circle on the side of my hand with his thumb. His rough, warm hand around mine was comforting in a way I wouldn't have believed possible just two months ago. "Yes, actually."

"So I should be the same with you."

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "Um… Well, yeah."

He chuckled. "Okay. Don't worry. There's nothing… scandalous, or whatever. It's just this… family thing I want to show you."

"Now?"

He shook his head. "How about tomorrow we go for a picnic, and I'll show you then."

"It's not some weird disease or anything, right? Some freaky hereditary wart or something?"

He laughed. "No, nothing like that. Don't worry about it. It's… not gross, I promise."

"The suspense is killing me."


	15. Fifteen

**MAXI **

"Gi?" I called into the living room. "Have you seen my coat?" My brother's dark form slunk into the hallway, standing at the end with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "I sort of need it. I'm leaving soon," I said, going through the closet there. Much to my annoyance, Seth had said we would go on a picnic, rain or shine. Just our luck – it was pouring. I didn't see how we were supposed to go picnicking in the rain, but Seth, always the optimist, would undoubtedly have some solution.

"Where are you going?" Giovanni asked in his low, monotonous voice.

"Um." I looked up at him. Gi was not the kind of person to express any kind of interest in anyone else, or in anything at all, really. He was very quiet, and spent most of his time in his room. "Out with a friend."

"Oh." I could feel him watching me. Giovanni was tall and slender, and walked with a slouch that drove our mother crazy. His hair was always in his eyes, and he wore dark clothes that never fit him right. I didn't know much about my brother; he wasn't around often. We mostly tried to keep out of each other's way.

"Holly?" Giovanni asked now.

Now I was completely confused as to where this was coming from. "Um, no, actually. Seth. I don't think you've met him."

"Oh." Giovanni looked at the floor for a few moments. "Your coat is in the trunk. Um… Well, have a good time." Without looking up at me, he turned and shuffled away.

I gathered the mail off the chest in the hallway and opened it up; sure enough, my yellow raincoat was folded beneath the lid. I looked down the hallway, thinking about how strange that had been. I couldn't remember the last time I had spoken more than a few words to my brother.

Then I heard a car horn beeping outside. I pulled my raincoat on, put up the hood and stepped outside. Seth was idling in the driveway, in my parent's parking spot. I ran over to his car, opening the door and sliding into the passenger's seat.

"It's pouring."

He made a show of looking out the window, leaning forward to examine the rain-spotted windshield. "Really."

I rolled my eyes. "And you expect me to go out in this weather?"

He grinned. "Come on, Max! You should be toughened to the rain. You shouldn't even notice it!"

"I _don't _notice it," I replied, "when I'm inside, which is where people belong during torrential downpours."

"Oh, I wouldn't call it _torrential…_" He pulled out of the driveway. "Just a heavy rain-shower. It should be over soon, I think, anyway."

"Are you making this up?"

"Completely." He smiled.

We drove to the woods at the far end of La Push. He parked his car in a small dirt clearing at the beginning of a hiking trail. I climbed out of the car, immediately stepping in a shallow puddle and soaking the bottoms of my jeans. I groaned. The fat raindrops pelted the top of my head, and I hugged my raincoat tighter.

"This is miserable."

He leaned into the backseat of the car, pulling out a picnic basket and holding it above his head like a trophy. "Yeah, but I made lunch all on my own!" He walked over to me, studying me carefully, probably judging my level of annoyance. "Come on, Max," he said. "It will be an adventure! And I promise it will be drier beneath the trees."

I sighed. "Alright. Come on, let's go."

Seth was right; beneath the canopy of trees, the rain was just a slow drizzle. We walked on the path, but even so, I found myself struggling. It felt like slogging through mud. Seth, however, had no problem; he probably could have made it through the trail in a quarter of the time it took me.

"Come out here often?" I panted.

He smiled. "Kind of. Having trouble?"

"No," I said, even as I struggled to get over a log. He hauled me up and over by my arms. "How much farther?"

He laughed. "Not much." Now he stayed by my side, fighting off branches and ferns that tried to thwart me.

Finally, Seth said, "We can stop here." I looked around; it looked exactly the same as every other spot on the trail. "This way." He held the picnic basket under one arm and guided me off the path, his other hand holding mine. Then, we did come across a small clearing. There were no trees; just an oval about six feet long and wide of grass and moss.

"I know a better place," he said, "but it would take probably another half-hour of walking."

"No," I said quickly, "this is fine."

He laughed. "Yeah, that's what I thought." He set the picnic basket and opened it, pulling out a blue-and-white checkered blanket. He spread that out in the center of the clearing and then sat, cross-legged. He smiled and patted the blanket next to him.

I went over and sat next to him, trying not to make muddy footprints on the clean blanket. It was slightly frayed and very soft, the way fabric gets over time.

"So, what'd you pack us?"

"Well." He pulled the basket into his lap and began rooting through its contents. Out of it came four sandwiches, a bag of diced fruit, hummus and bread, and a whole lot of other stuff.

"You fit that all in there?" I said, looking into the basket. "Who are you, Mary Poppins?"

"Well, if we're being honest…" He laughed sheepishly. "I had my mom help me. She's better with spatial stuff." He gestured to the huge amount of food before us. "So, dig in."

I opened the bag of fruit and began chewing on a strawberry. "So, Seth," I said, "I'm curious. What did you want to tell me?"

"Curiosity killed the cat," he told me, waving the end of his sandwich at me.

"Seth…"

"Maxi…"

"Is it money?"

He shook his head. "I am not," he said through a huge mouthful of sandwich, "playing twen'y ques'ions wif you." He swallowed. "It's nothing to get too excited about. Just relax. You'll find out in due time."

"Is this a form of manipulation?"

He rolled his eyes. "Calm down."

"Um… God, trees?"

"No!" Seth yelled. "You said God, which is related to sticks! You lose!"

"What are you talking about? How are those related?"

Seth threw his cherry pit to the ground. "You can make a cross with sticks, and a cross is related to God."

"That doesn't make sense," I told him. "But I'd be out anyway, because sticks and trees are related."

He thought about that. "Oh. Yeah. I guess that's right."

"In that case, I win, just because you're dumb."

He laughed. "Ouch. Okay. So we're three for three."

Seth and I were playing the disassociation game. One person would say a word, and the next would have to say a word completely unrelated. Which was a lot harder than it sounds.

"I swear," he said, "this game makes me go insane."

"Unless --,"

"Don't even."

I laughed and dipped a piece of bread into hummus. "Alright, alright."

I chewed on my bread, examining the woods around us. Everything was green and lush, as always. Some plants seemed swollen, like they had grown past their natural peak. They dripped with the rain that had passed. Drip, drip, drip.

**SETH **

I had led myself into a trap. No, she had _tempted _me into a trap, unknowingly.

We had been sitting on my couch; she was just sitting there, watching the movie. But she looked so… _little. _Fragile and innocent. On the screen, we watched freaky Halloween creatures stumble around, and she had no idea she was sitting next to something from the same collection of myths.

And that's when I said it. I let the cat out of the bag – or the wolf… Whatever. Now she wanted to know, and I'd have to tell her eventually. It was the thought of her reaction that had me so nervous, though. Would she be afraid? I didn't want to scare her. Would she never want to talk to me again?

And what if she _told? _

I looked at Maxi, and somehow, I knew she wouldn't do something like that. She was too introverted; she wouldn't want to deal with the publicity it would bring. And of course, I hoped she wouldn't want to tell for _my _sake. Hopefully I meant enough to her by now…

"Seth?" she said now. I realized I had been staring at her.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

I suddenly felt very, very nervous. My stomach churned, and I was pretty sure I was sweating. I didn't want to do this – it was the wrong place, the wrong time. She and I were _so close _to having something… I didn't want to wreck it. What was I _thinking? _

Then, in a clichéd sort of way, I remembered what my mom had always said to Leah and me. Mostly to Leah, especially after the whole thing with Sam. "Things have a way of working themselves out," she told us. "In the end, everything will be as it's supposed to."

Of course, _believing _that was another matter entirely.

"Want to… go somewhere?" I asked, gesturing to the forests around us. My voice sounded strangled.

She made a sort of confused face. "Uh… Like where?"

"I need to show you something, remember?"

"You can't show me here?"

"Hey," I said, trying to be normal, "you don't get to make the rules here. This is _my _show." My attempted humor sounded flat and forced, even to me.

"Right…" She got up, though. "Lead the way."

I hadn't really planned this far. I needed to find a place where there was enough room for me to phase, and somewhere nearby I could put her so she wouldn't see. We walked through the woods for a few minutes; she was telling me something about her brother, but my nerves wouldn't let me focus. I tried to make nod and make interested sounds appropriately.

I found the spot where I would phase, and walked with Maxi a little ways past it. I didn't want her to watch me phase – seeing me explode might be a little traumatic.

"Hey, Maxi?" I said.

"Yeah?" she

"Can you wait here for just a second? I'll, um… I'll be right back."

"Sure."

I tried to smile. "Thanks. I'll be right through the trees, okay? No worries. Just, uh… Don't follow me. It's a surprise."

She looked at me funny. "Um, okay."

On impulse, I took a step forward and kissed her forehead. Her skin was so smooth… I ran away from her, through the woods, before she had time to see how afraid and nervous I was.

I went back to the spot I had picked out early, bouncing from foot to foot. I just needed to do this. I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed heavily. God, this was difficult. For one of the first times, I wished I didn't phase. I wished I was normal, and Maxi and I could date like normal teenagers…

I shook it off. I just needed to do this. Phase and get past it. She'd see me as a wolf, and either accept it, completely freak out, or get angry. Or something else I wasn't considering.

I couldn't _focus _enough to phase on my own… So I started thinking about how frustrating this situation was. I tried to relive the moment when I had thought Maxi wanted to me leave, when my hands started shaking. And it was working – I could feel the tremors wracking my body. Quickly, I stripped my clothes off and left them on the ground – I would be back for them.

Frustration. Desperation.

Then I could feel the familiar fire course through my veins, accompanied by sheer adrenalin. It was a mildly painful experience, but also empowering.

As I phased, I lunged into the air; when I landed, I did so on four paws. Quickly, I examined myself – my blonde fur wasn't as intimidating as Sam's black, but I was still _massive. _

I exhaled loudly and started towards Maxi, moving slowly. In my head, I was planning my entrance: she'd see me standing there, and having one of several reactions. I was preparing myself for all of them.

So I was thrown off when I found her and she had her back to me. Shoot. I made some rustling noises, hoping she'd turn around. Nothing.

I stomped my feet and threw my shoulder into the bush at the right. She turned around, calling, "Seth?"

When she saw me, her eyes widened first in surprise, then awe, and finally, fear.

"Seth?" she called again, but now her voice was quieter, strained. Panicked. "Seth…! Where are you?" She looked around frantically, backing up. I knew this behavior; she was getting ready to run.

I laid down, staring up at her, trying to be as small as possible.

"Seth?" she called again, backing away.

I whined and laid my head on the ground, trying to be as little as possible. She kept looking at me, and I could see her curiosity battling with her fear. I whined again.

"Are you hurt?" she whispered. I picked my head up slowly and swung it from side to side. Her brows pulled together and she frowned. "Are you… hungry?" I shook my head again. "You're really smart. Or… that was a weird string of coincidences." I smiled at her. Come on, Maxi. You can get this.

She looked around. "Where's Seth?"

I barked softly. She was startled, and backed away. I let out a sustained whine, pressing my chin against the ground. Come on, Max. Come on.

She took a step forward. "You even _look _smart." When she was about two feet from the side of my head, she hesitated. "Can I pat you?"

I swung my head to look at her, smiling. Slowly, she reached out and touched the fur on my neck. When I didn't move, she ran her fingers through it. I smiled.

"That's funny," she said. "You've got a dimple, right here…" she touched my right cheek. "I've never seen a dog with a dimple."

I looked at her straight on. _Come on, Maxi. So close. _

"Oh, God." She put her hand to her mouth, staring at me. "Seth…?" _Yes! _I whined, wishing I could speak. Maybe this wasn't the best tactic. "Is that…?" Her eyes widened and she turned her back to me. I heard her whisper, "No. That's crazy. That's impossible." I whined loudly, and she faced me again. "Is this a joke? Where's Seth?"

I could see she wasn't handling this well. I needed to be able to talk to her. Carefully, I got up. She just stared at me. I ran into the woods, back to my clothes. As quickly as I could, I phased back, put my clothes on, and ran back to Maxi.

I could hear her yelling. "Seth? _Seth? _Where the _hell _are you?"

I burst through the bushes. "Maxi?" She was sitting on the ground, head in her hands. "Max!" I ran over, sinking to the ground beside her. "Are you okay?"

She looked up at me, features contorted in a mask of complete confusion and fear. "Seth," she whispered. "I think I'm going crazy."

I wrapped my arms around her, and for once, she didn't pull away. Instead, she buried her head in my shoulder and pressed her side close to mine.

"Shh…" I tried to soothe her. "What's wrong?"

"I… I don't know. You'll think I'm insane…" she mumbled into my shirt.

"No, no," I assured her, rubbing her back. "You can tell me."

"I… I saw this wolf thing. It was so big, though… Seth, it was huge_._" She looked up at me for a moment, emphasizing, _"Huge. _And… And it was like it was talking to me. It seemed so smart. Almost human... except it was an _animal. _And… And wolves don't even get that big. I just…" Now when she looked at me, she looked afraid. "I thought it was _you, _Seth. It had the same colored eyes, and…" She reached up and touched my right cheek. Her fingertips were cool and soft as they grazed my skin. "It had the same dimple as you. A _wolf." _

"Maxi… It's okay. You're actually…" I chuckled darkly. "Actually pretty intuitive. That wolf… It _was _me."


End file.
